A miner point: time to Paki it in.

Hmm...certain people jumped all over my crap when I wrote how insensitive it was to make fun of the Chilean miners prior to their successful rescue. This recent flame war just proves how bad it can get if we discount the pain others are experiencing just because they don't live next door to us.

In the comedy stakes I get uncomfortable when 'jokes' seem to target vulnerable, blameless people who, for one reason or another, are having a crap time of things. Especially when there are so many targets that deserve everything that can be thrown at them. IMO, too many people here settle for 'offensive' rather than 'funny' (and, believe me, I'll happily take 'offensive and funny' if the joke's put together with a little wit and panache)...

The Chilean miners were alive, that's why I thought the "humor" should only begin after their ordeal came to a happy outcome. I'm probably getting very old, but I don't think it's nice to make fun of people essentially trapped alive in their graves.

The Chilean mine was a gold one ,the NZ mine was coal so it has poisonous explosive gases and that`s why they could not send men in ,as it was proved by the 2nd explosion .As a miner you get a small survivor pack which is supposed to save you if there is bad air ,however these packs do not last long ,so the outcome for them was never good .